MrsSparkle

PROFILE UPDATE: September 16/14 I have been dealing with an ankle injury for 7 weeks. As such, I have been in and out of the ER, as well as having multiple tests done. I cannot drive, so this has impacted my getting around. I am endeavouring to keep up with swaps, but I may unexpectedly be unable to. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

WOOL

I cannot wear anything made with wool, not even 1%. My skin becomes very itchy and I break out in hives.

SMELLS

Please do not send anything with a scent on or in it. There are many scents I love, but there are many, many more than make me unwell.

Please! no coffee, or coffee smelling things, no coconut, no marzipan, no smoke smelling items (cigarette, cigar), no smelly things as they tend to give me a headache. Thank you!

GREETINGS

Thanks for stopping by and reading my profile :-)

I am a BC transplant living in Alberta, Canada. I grew up in Metro Vancouver, B.C. Canada. I moved to north western Alberta, near Edmonton, 6 years ago. I am still acclimatizing to the weather here, even after 6 years. As odd as this may sound to Metro Vancouverites, the thing I miss most about Metro Vancouver is the rain. And tied for second for what I miss most about Metro Vancouver is the ocean and the mountains.

I am wife to an amazing man. He works extremely hard both at work and at home keeping us and our community safe. I am thankful every day that he is part of my life.

I am mom to two amazing children, They both amaze and challenge me every day. I have taken a break from my full time paid profession to be at home with my loves. I cannot say this is a break from work because it is not. It simply is a break from being paid in money.

I do not have a "normal" day. Every single day is different. From getting kids to and from school, dance class, Girl Guides, soccer, birthday parties, play dates, groceries, laundry and volunteering at the children's school no day is the same.

My life is very different from what I imagined it would be 6 years ago, but I would not change a thing. I have learned a lot about myself and the strength that comes from perseverance, persistence and love. As dark as your darkest day may be, light will return. And, the world continues even when you want it to stop. Your mental health, as well as those around you, is as important as your physical health. My family has been significantly and profoundly affected by mental illness. Please seek help and support those around you. Suicide kills. It ends one person's pain, but is the beginning of so many other's.

I am loving all the colourful and unique stamps that are coming and going from my house. So, I would like stamps on my swaps, preferably lots instead of prepaid/metered postage. Thank you.

I like sending a quick note with my packages, especially explaining why I choose the items I choose for you. Please do the same for me. Sometimes I am not sure why something was sent and I would like to understand the thinking of the sender. Sometimes it is not the item itself that is the most fun, but the thought behind the item.

I choose to live my life believing people act with the best of intentions. I know this is naive, but unless proven otherwise, I want to think people are doing the best they can at that time in their life.

I joined Swap-bot for fun.That is all, fun. I have met many people on here who are kind, caring and compassionate. I have also met some people that are not like that. Please, for any reason, you are going to be late wish a swap, communicate with me before the send by date. I know things happen and live gets complicated. However, you signed up for the swap. If you know you are going to be away when a swap is due, send it out before you leave. I have also been flaked on some swaps. All are hurtful, but one I signed up for my 4 year old was never fulfilled and that one has been the worse. It has been a year since the swap and the sender keeps telling me she will resend, but I have seen nothing. She still hosts and participates in swaps, but has not fulfilled a private swap she set up.

My musical tastes are eclectic. I like most genres of music: classical, pop, rock, country. However, my all time favourite is BNL!! and, my newest find is Celtic Thunder.

I love reading. However, I find it can be a challenge to find a well crafted book. What I find even more challenging is to find time to read! I love my public library. It saved me tons of money!

I also love books marks! And, I have found the "perfect" bookmark, at least for me. I LOVE all bookmarks, but I tend to loose them and therefore my place in a book. I have found bookjigs. You attach the clip to the front cover and the ribbon is the book mark. The ribbon is easily adjustable for both the height and width of the book. They are a bit on the pricey side at $6, but worth every penny! I found mine at Chapters/Indigo.

I do not think of myself as "crafty", but I have done many crafts, mostly with younger children. I do, however, love to paper craft. I love to scrapbook, make cards, alter items, make mini albums, etc. Scrapbooking: I started scrapbooking almost 8 years ago. I am self taught from old library books. My style has certainly changed over the years. As I got further into the craft, I learned more. I took classes, went to crops, read magazines and scrapped with friends.

Cardmaking was a natural progression from scrapbooking so I started making cards. Once again, my first were pretty rough, but I improved my techniques. I have made any different types and shapes, and used various methods making cards. I like may of the complex cards, but simple, beautiful ones are my favourite. I have gifted, sold and swapped many cards and love to see what other people make.

After awhile, I wanted to branch out into 3D and altered items. I've done various sizes and shapes of mini albums, boxes, containers, wall art etc. I love experimenting with new ideas and techniques.

I LOVE tea!! I have always liked tea. I used to only drink it with my grandparents when I went to visit them when I was a child. However, now that I live in Alberta, it has become a morning routine. I have tried many teas over the years and right now David's Tea is my favourite company. I love that I can sit at home and shop on line. The best part is everything comes in the mail :). This is a lovely treat for me as I live over an hours driving distance to bigger shops and over an hour and a half to a major city. Having said all that...my favourite tea in the morning is Cream of Earl Grey by David's Tea. I find it is a good kick start to my day. I am open to trying other flavours as I may find a new favourite :)

Collection As I am drinking more tea, I would love to start collecting tea balls. However, I want to collect ones that have charms/trinkets on the end that hangs over the cup, and unique shaped ones. Thanks :)

PLEASE do not send me tea. It is finally warm here and I am not drinking as much tea. Thank you :)

I love chocolate. My favourite kind is a rich, creamy dark chocolate. After that, I like dark chocolate with mix ins. However, I do not like friuts, marzipam or hot, spicy flavours. I like milk chocolate, but do not like white chocolate. I am also interested in trying hot chocolate mixes. Please, only high quality chocolate. I would rather have one teeny tiny piece of good chocolate that a vat of cheap stuff.

Colours: red (deep burgandy), spring green, emerald green, sky blue, bright yellows, mutted or bright pinks, light purples, warm greys, rich browns

Flowers: burgandy roses, any colour roses, beautiful, bright colours

Indulgences: chocoloate, anything made with chocolate, and, of course, chocolate! And, dark is best :)

Ireland: I really, really, really want to go there. Some of my roots are from there and I am interested in our family history. I also think the country is beautiful from what I have seen and heard. I have recently found the group "Celtic Thunder" and I am loving them. I also am interested in just about everything Celtic.

Cats: We have 4 - 3 female and 1 male - grandma, mom and 2 babies. All have been fixed. We are not having any more kittens! In the last 2 years there have been 8 kittens in the house (at 2 different times). I do not like most dogs. Some I do like. Mostly, if depends on the dog's personality and its' training.

Pearls or diamonds: but of course, both!

Dislike: cigarettes, the smell of new or stale cigarettes; strong smells such as strong, fake fragrances (like smelly candles, cologne), arrogance; unpleaseant body odour; rudeness, judgemental people, narrow mindedness

Randomness: Mountains, especially the fresh air and openness; recieving letters and packages in the mail. I love my yard and watching my flowers and vegetables grow. And eating the veggies straight out of the garden. Mr. Bean (he's hilarious!). Alone time, quiet, peace, openness, new ideas, new perspectives, learning new things.

Thanks to a swap, I have discovered the world of Filofax. I used an agenda in High school, and I have a calendar that lives on my fridge with our schedule in it, However, my Filofax is what I have been looking for without knowing it was there. As my children and myself have become involved with more activities I am constantly looking to jot something down, or make a note of something, or remember what I need to buy the next time I am in town. I have used note paper and coil books, but I never seem to be able to find what I need when I need it. I have only had my filofax for a couple of weeks, so nothing is very sorted, but I have been spending a lot of time on youtube, pinterest and various blogs looking at ideas. I am hoping to get everything in order for September.

I have been in some swaps that specifically for "wishlist" items. As the title states, it is a "wish" list. I also find a summary of likes can be useful in preparing a swap, so here it is in no particular order.

*favourite colour: red, and second, spring green

*dark chocolate (high cocoa content, no mix ins)

*unusual shaped tea infusers or regular ones with unique charms/additions

*stationery: letter sets, note paper, patterned envelopes

*writing implements (pens, sharpies, etc)

*bookmarks

*page flags

*sticky notes

*shaped paper clips

*fun stickers (please no reward/ teacher/ tiny/ juvenile)

*washi/deco tape

*suduko

*Swap-bot swap cards

*charms

*mini clothes pins

*ribbon (please, more than 13")

*brads

*tape runner (please, no glue sticks)

*sewed items, bags etc.(I've tried to sew, but I have not been successful!)

Dislikes

PLEASE!!

*no small scraps of paper smaller than 4" x 4" *no magazines *no cutouts from magazines *no off season items *baby related *wedding related